Act III: And the moral of the story is…

Morality is Witte de With’s year-long leitmotiv, defining an assemblage of projects that are subdivided into several acts. They include six group exhibitions, a symposium, performance program, publication and web platform. Act III is the film cycle titled And the moral of the story is… 4 days of non-stop film, open 24 hours a day: from Wednesday 3 February at 23:59 to Sunday 7 February at 23:59.

Due to the ease of its digital production, reproduction and distribution (legal or otherwise), film is now a ubiquitous medium, beamed onto buildings and billboards, visible in metro stations and car consoles, at home on DVD, television and the internet, as well as in cinemas and in a worldwide proliferation of festivals. Used and abused in the form of propaganda, or employed more subtly to reinforce (and undermine) dominant modes of thinking in society, film speaks directly to a broad audience, making it one of the most sophisticated ways to transmit a moral message or explore a moral question.

Occupying one floor of Witte de With’s galleries, this curated film cycle presents moral tales as told by artists and film-makers through the medium of the moving image. As a deliberate curatorial decision, no hierarchical distinction is made between video, DVD, 35 or 16mm film, between artists’ videos or major Hollywood productions. The films presented range from mainstream to art-house movies, from technically complex works with elaborate scripts and settings to hand-held, homemade films. Grouped thematically into 12-hour long categories, this program examines a range of moral issues through the lens of artists and film-makers, creating a kaleidoscope of over 100 hours of film, open 24 hours a day for a period of four days.

Film program themes

Thursday 4 February 00:00-11:59

From flaneur to outlaw
Presenting a range of characters on the margins of society, these films focus on people who deliberately abdicate themselves from moral responsibility, as a liberation, escaping the repressive framework of moral norms, and as an act of rebellion or defiance.

Thursday 4 February 12:00-23:59

The all-seeing eye
Looking at questions of surveillance, visibility, safety and voyeurism, these films also explore the power and the role of the Media in shaping our attitudes to morality. They also refer to film itself as a medium, and ultimately to the moral role of the artist and film-maker.

Friday 5 February 00:00-11:59

Saints, sinners & disbelievers
The major religions of our time prescribe a morality governed by an objective set of rules. These films tell the stories of moments of doubt, of battles against the inflexibility of religious moral codes, revealing instead the subjective and individual side to morality.

Friday 5 February 12:00-23:59

The burden of history
History is usually written by the winners, which can lead to an over-simplification of moral choices and positions. Without lapsing into apologist or revisionist sentiments, the films in this section explore the moral complexity of the past, and the way that it is represented today.

Saturday 6 February 00:00-11:59

Happy families
Exploring morality within closely-knit social groups – whether an actual family, the student body of a school, or a group of dancers – the films in this category look at the conflicting moral codes between children and adults, and the moment at which they overlap: adolescence.

Saturday 6 February 12:00-23:59

With great power comes great responsibility
Spiderman’s words echo far beyond the realm of the superhero, bringing together this selection of films that depict heroes, warriors, kings and princes, but also ‘normal’ people thrust into positions of power, or those who hold sway behind the scenes.

Sunday 7 February 00:00-11:59

(Re)presentable?
Pushing the boundaries of the ‘acceptable’, artists and filmmakers have often tackled the taboos of their time. The films in this category include the politically incorrect, the sexually explicit, the graphically violent, trespassing the boundaries of taste and representation.

Sunday 7 February 12:00-23:59

Moral citizen, critical individual
Taking a cue from Kant, this category brings together films whose main protagonists take a stand against the status quo: from whistleblowers to informers, political crusaders to tricksters.